F1 Fantasy: top picks & predictions for the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

The 2024 F1 Fantasy season is coming to a close this weekend in Abu Dhabi and Andrew Harris’s Leapers One squad has a firm grip on the title: he’s 100 points clear of the trailing field at the top of the Global League standings.

His commanding advantage looks to be mainly due to the performance of McLaren in Qatar, with all three of his papaya-coloured assets combining to score 223 F1 Fantasy points (with a Triple DRS chip applied to Lando Norris and a Double DRS Boost given to Oscar Piastri).

But should you or F1 Fantasy’s new world champion-in-waiting stick with the Woking outfit, which is also on the cusp of a world title, for this weekend’s tour around Yas Marina? We’re not so sure.

During its last five visits to the Abu Dhabi desert, no McLaren has finished higher than fifth. The team has not even appeared on the podium there since 2011. Norris and Piastri will be aiming to break the so-so run of form in 2024, with McLaren needing a strong result to guarantee its first constructors’ world title since 1998.

With that motivation in place, we’d suggest keeping at least one McLaren asset in your F1 Fantasy side — ideally the constructor card, which scores points from both drivers throughout the weekend.

But for the rest of your line-up, history suggests you should bet most of your chips on red.

Ferrari has been a force to be reckoned with in Abu Dhabi since its debut on the calendar in 2010 — despite never winning a race there. The Maranello outfit has scored three podium finishes in its last three trips to Yas Marina, and looks poised to lead the way in 2024.

Charles Leclerc has been in red-hot form of late too, finishing no lower than fifth in his last five races and scoring 182 F1 Fantasy points in the process. Over the same period, Norris has scored 45 fewer points.

Carlos Sainz has bolstered the team’s constructors’ title hopes with a win in Mexico City and a podium in Las Vegas. The Spaniard has also scored 142 F1 Fantasy points since the US GP — which is 12 more than Piastri has managed.

Ferrari’s SF24 is expected to flourish in Abu Dhabi, as it has performed well on similar circuits in Austin and Mexico City. But not only could a full Ferrari-led driver line-up earn you more F1 Fantasy points this weekend, but it could also do it while being kinder on your budget.

Leclerc costs $1.4m less than Norris and Sainz costs $1.3m less than Piastri. That’s a $2.7m saving you could then spend filling out the rest of your line-up! But which other drivers should you invest in?

Read on for more tips and predictions for the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and remember to join our Motor Sport Fantasy league.

There are more on the rules and scoring in our F1 Fantasy full guide; and if you need some creative inspiration, check out our F1 Fantasy team name generator. For more information on the chips available and when to use them, we’ve got an F1 Fantasy chips explainer too.

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How to score the most F1 Fantasy points at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Abu Dhabi hosts the final Grand Prix weekend of the season — meaning that if you have any F1 Fantasy Chips remaining, now is the time to use them.

If you still have your Limitless chip (which allows you to build a line-up with an unlimited budget) we’d suggest filling your line-up with Ferrari and McLaren assets, while possibly also betting on Max Verstappen to finish his season strong with a fifth consecutive victory at Yas Marina.

Equally, if you still have your Triple DRS chip (which triples the score of a selected driver), we’d suggest applying it to a front-running driver that could help bolster your position in the league standings.

But for those without any chips, the best hope of scoring as many F1 Fantasy points as possible this weekend is by betting on the proven Abu Dhabi form of Ferrari. Adding Leclerc and Sainz to your line-up in place of Norris and Piastri could give your team the best chance of a race victory, while also making a significant saving.

But, as we mentioned earlier, we’d still suggest pairing together the McLaren and Ferrari constructor cards, as both drivers of both teams will be aiming to finish as high up the running order as possible to better their constructors’ title chances.

You can then fill out the rest of your line-up with in-form midfield assets — and there are plenty to choose from!

Pierre Gasly ✅

Pierre Gasly is currently Formula 1’s man in form.

After struggling for the vast majority of the 2024 campaign, the Frenchman suddenly found pace in Sao Paulo: finishing third from 15th on the grid and scoring 30 F1 Fantasy points in the process.

He then qualified third in Las Vegas and was running inside the top ten before being retired due to an engine issue. But Gasly bounced back again in Qatar: finishing ninth in the sprint before qualifying 11th for the Grand Prix and climbing through the field to fifth.

That performance brought his F1 Fantasy points total to 39 for the last three race weekends. That’s more than Sergio Perez (29), Fernando Alonso (30), Lance Stroll (-28) and Nico Hülkenberg (-37) — and all for the bargain price of just $11.8m!

Franco Colapinto ❌

What a difference a few weeks makes…

Prior to the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Franco Colapinto was being considered for a top seat at Red Bull for 2025 and was a regular must-pick for F1 Fantasy squads — having amassed 43 points across his first five race weekends.

But after suffering three crashes at the last three grand prix — costing F1 Fantasy players 26 points in the process — the Argentine has spun his way out of both a future F1 seat and a spot on our F1 Fantasy line-up.

For $7.4m, he’s still amongst the cheapest drivers options, but we’d suggest on spending that money on someone with a little more experience. Valtteri Bottas found form in Qatar for Sauber — scoring a eleventh-place finish and 12 F1 Fantasy points in the process. But we think an even better deal can be found in his team-mate.

Zhou Guanyu  ✅

Zhou Guanyu was once a must-have pick for your F1 Fantasy squad — capable of extracting consistent points from F1’s highly competitive midfield.

But even while his abilities have been limited by the underperformance of his Sauber in 2024, he’s still been able to score an impressive 97 F1 Fantasy points — 15 more than Kevin Magnussen, 16 more than Lance Stroll and 19 points more than Pierre Gasly — all for just $9.6m.

With no seat F1 for next season, Zhou will also be aiming to impress with a convincing drive in Abu Dhabi and with Sauber finally looking competitive, your F1 Fantasy squad could benefit.

Esteban Ocon 

Esteban Ocon has been released from his Alpine duties ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and will not race this weekend.

So, if you have the Frenchman in your F1 Fantasy line-up already, you must remove him prior to the deadline on Saturday December 7 at 2pm GMT or you will receive a 25-point penalty.

Luckily, there are plenty of replacement options. You could spend Ocon’s $14.4m budget on Pierre Gasly, and pocket the spare $2.6m to spend elsewhere. Other options include Kevin Magnussen, who for $14.3m has scored an impressive 21 points in Qatar, or the almost-always reliable Fernando Alonso, who for $15.3m has scored 29 points over his last two race weekends.

We’d suggest avoiding Jack Doohan though, who is being fielded in as Ocon’s replacement. Transferring in a rookie for his debut grand prix brings a hefty risk that’s not worth taking in the final race of the season.

My F1 Fantasy team for the Qatar GP

For the Abu Dhabi GP, I’ve chosen to sell Norris and Piastri and add Leclerc and Sainz back into my F1 Fantasy line-up, writes Cambridge Kisby.

As I sold both papaya-coloured drivers for a profit and replaced them with cheaper options, that has allowed me to add in Ferrari as one of my constructors — partnering McLaren. Then for the rest of the line-up, I’ve retained the same midfield options: picking Pierre Gasly, Franco Colapinto and Valtteri Bottas.